Have I Got News For You pulled at the last minute over ‘impartiality’ concerns

Tonight’s Have I Got News For You has been pulled by the BBC due to impartiality concerns in the lead-up to the European elections.

The programme was removed from the evening schedule because Heidi Allen, of Change UK/The Independent Group, featured as a guest, and BBC editorial guidelines around election periods do not allow programmes where ‘equal representation’ is not achieved.

With the upcoming European Parliament elections, the BBC decided it would be ‘inappropriate’ to feature the episode this evening, replacing it with an episode of Would I Lie To You, followed by Mrs Brown’s Boys, with a view to broadcasting HIGNFY it at a later date.

The Have I Got News For You Twitter page announced the decision, posting: ‘Sorry everyone. The BBC have pulled tonight’s edition of #HIGNFY – no, we didn’t book Danny Baker.

The Have I Got News For You Twitter page announced the decision, posting: ‘Sorry everyone. The BBC have pulled tonight’s edition of #HIGNFY – no, we didn’t book Danny Baker’

‘We booked Heidi Allen, a member of a party no-one knows the name of (not even the people in it), because the Euro elections, which nobody wants, may or may not be happening.

‘Sorry.’

Heidi Allen MP defected from the Tories to join the pro-Remain Independent Group in February and became interim leader of the group, now known as Change UK, in March.

Many social media users voiced their concerns that the BBC had featured Nigel Farage on Question Time earlier this week, with some calling it an ‘interesting decision’ and others saying it is the ‘rankest hypocrisy’.

One Twitter user said: ‘How on earth does this decision only get made in the hour before the show starts?’

Pictured: Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage appears on BBC’s Question Time. A spokesperson clarified: ‘Question Time is a political debate programme, which has representatives from various different political parties’

‘Because of this it would be inappropriate to feature political party leaders on entertainment programmes during this short election period, which does not allow for equal representation to be achieved.

‘So we will not broadcast the scheduled episode of HIGNFY featuring Heidi Allen, leader of Change UK. We will look to broadcast this episode at a later date.’

When asked over the difference between Ms Allen’s appearance on HIGNFY and Mr Farage’s on Question Time, the spokesperson added: ‘The statement refers to appearance during entertainment programmes during this short election period, which does not allow for equal representation to be achieved.

‘Question Time is a political debate programme, which has representatives from various different political parties.’

The Have I Got News For You Twitter page continued to post after announcing the decision

Comedian Jo Brand was slated to guest host last night’s episode while stand-up comic Phil Wang was the other guest panellist.

First being aired in 1990, 501 episodes of the panel show have been broadcast on the BBC with guests ranging from Grayson Perry to Boris Johnson.

In 2013 another episode of the programme was at the centre of an impartiality scandal ahead of the Scottish independent referendum.

Ofcom and the BBC received more than 100 complaints about anti-Scottish bias as Ian Hislop joked that Mars Bars would be the currency on an independent Scotland.

That was followed by the guest host, English actor Ray Winstone, saying: ‘To be fair the Scottish economy has its strengths – its chief exports being oil, whisky, tartan and tramps.’